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23
THE RIVER - JULY 24, 2015
deaRPharmacist
Treating Babesia
And Lyme
by Suzy Cohen, RPh
Dear
Readers:
Babesiosis
is the name of an
infection caused
by Babesia, which
includes various
symptoms that range
in severity. The infec-
tion may cause tem-
perature regulation
difficulties, drenching night or day sweats,
headaches, nervous system abnormalities,
disequilibrium, dysnpea or air hunger,
anxiety, déjà vu and much more. The
complete article I wrote on how to rec-
ognize a Babesia infection is still posted
on my website. Today’s article is Part II of
the story as I promised and focuses more
on treatment options. As a reminder,
Babesia is a co-infection which usually
comes from a tick bite, along with Lyme
disease. They go together.
The blood tests for Babesia rarely
identify it and treatment is difficult. But
not knowing about Babesia is also difficult
because you wind up taking medications
for 10 different symptoms which might
be related to one single infection. I’m
trying to help people by giving Babesia
some attention.
Focusing on immune system improve-
ment is critical, and eliminating food anti-
gens will allow your immune cells (which
have been hijacked) to at least focus
on the germ. One key is to kill Babesia
organisms, but this must be accomplished
very carefully so you don’t kill yourself.
No joke.
Remember, Babesia is a blood para-
site. Imagine that every very time you kill
an organism you are simultaneously blow-
ing up a red blood cell so you have to
approach with caution. Generally speak-
ing, the rotation of prescribed antibiotics
and herbal anti-microbials is a great idea.
Keep Babs guessing!
I only have so much space here, so
to receive a more comprehensive ver-
sion of today’s article sign up for my free
newsletter at suzycohen.com and I’ll email
it to you. Right now, here are some treat-
ments that a Lyme-literate medical doctor
(LLMD) may suggest:
Mepron or Malarone – These popular
prescription anti-protozoals have helped
many people with Babesia, however,
antibiotic resistance is now appearing.
And being bluntly honest, I would never
recommend them to you my friend. The
depression associated with these drugs
is swift, severe and scary. LLMDs some-
times forget to warn you, but luckily the
mood changes are reversible upon dis-
continuation of the medication.
Flagyl or Tindamax – These go by
metronidazole and tinidazole respectively.
Tindamax is better because it penetrates
the brain and heart better since it’s lipo-
philic. Tindamax has less resistance, too.
Additionally, these hit the cyst form of
Borrelia burgdorferi (Lyme) so you get a
bang for your buck.
Cryptolepis sanguinoleta – An herb
sold online by Woodland Essence that
seems to be effective for people who
have failed on other medications. Bring
“crypto” in with other medications or
herbs, but go slow because it’s strong.
Sida Acuta – Basically a beautiful
weed, it’s commonly used in combina-
tion with cryptolepis for Babesia. Babesia
destroys red blood cells and Sida Acuta
works to protect the red blood cells. This
is also by Woodland Essence.
Artemisinin – A favorite among
LLMDs for Babesia, however, it is both
neurotoxic and hepatotoxic. Use with
caution.
Septra or Bactrim (sulfamethoxazole/
trimethoprim) – This is a “sulfa” prescrip-
tion drug that is most effective when
combined with a macrolide (such as clar-
ithromycin or azithromycin).
This information is not intended
to treat, cure or diagnose your condi-
tion. Suzy Cohen is the author of The
24-Hour Pharmacist and is a registered
pharmacist. To contact her, visit www.
SuzyCohen.com.
Mom And Me
by Lizzie and Pryce
Lizzie and Pryce answer your ques-
tions and give advice about aging
concerns from a two-generational
perspective. A mother and daughter
team, Lizzie is a retired RN and health
educator, and Pryce is a licensed psycho-
therapist in private practice who special-
izes in the care of elders and people with
chronic illnesses.
Dear Mom & Me,
I read your column quite regularly. I
am a retired gerontologist living in an
over 55 community and I must say I dis-
agree strongly with your advice to Freda.
I do not see Freda as intimidated but
annoyed at young people who belittle her
and are “mean.” It is not easy to ignore
such behavior. It often translates into a
situation where the old person with a
legitimate concern is bullied into believing
they are stupid. Pryce’s comment regard-
ing computers and new technologies are
not solutions either. I consider myself well
able to use them, but the rapidly increas-
ing technologies boggle my mind. I feel at
my age, I should be able to use a tele-
phone book and/or get information by
telephone or in person rather than spend-
ing an inordinate amount of the few years
I have left on earth to figure out why my
password is invalid or why Comcast has
“lost” my signal again.
I sense it is OK not to criticize younger
folks starting in preschool for fear that we
will hurt their self-esteem and shatter their
egos. Don’t people of age deserve the
same consideration?
Bottom line, instead of accepting
verbal abuse and other ageisms, wouldn’t
it be better to resurrect and teach
youngsters the old fashioned “virtues” as
respect for one’s elders and/or the notion
that the customer is always right?
Thanks for listening.
Loretta C. Buffer, PhD,
Fort Myers
Dear Loretta,
I have recently read in some published
literature that the more a country is tech-
nologically advanced the less that society
values their aged population. Computer
and technologies are here to stay. You
and I grew up in a more gentle society,
but to survive we have to keep up to date
with change.
Lizzie
Lizzie and Pryce’s email address is
momandmeaging@hotmail.com.
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NON-SURGICAL
PAIN RELIEF
FROM:
YOU NEED A TREATMENT AS POWERFUL AND STRONG AS YOU WANT TO BE.
Salvation Army To Hold
Disaster Relief Training
We’re more than a month into hurricane season, and The Salvation Army
stands ready to provide disaster relief with teams of trained staff and com-
munity volunteers. The Salvation Army will host a disaster training day
for new volunteers who are interested in joining its disaster team and helping oth-
ers during the next emergency. The next training day will be held on Wednesday,
August 5 from 8 a.m . to noon at 10291 McGregor Blvd. in Fort Myers. The class
is free, however, registration is required.
This training day provides an overview of The Salvation Army’s emergency disas-
ter services program and explains how trained volunteers are deployed in times of
crisis. The training also gives an introduction to the cornerstone of Salvation Army
disaster services, mass feeding and The Salvation Army mobile kitchen. Participants
will learn the basics of response protocol.
The Salvation Army disaster training is free, but due to space limitations, all par-
ticipants should register in advance. To register for the class, go to www.disaster.
salvationarmyusa.org and visit the Upcoming Classes page on the website, then
select Florida.
For questions about the class, call Volunteer Specialist Kris Volpone at 278-
1551.